Dreamscape
by Rainkissed Dahlia
Summary: Oz is dreaming, he has to be. Illusion after illusion appears, and each warns him of the same fate: Alice will die. But Oz isn't too keen on giving Alice up so easily. What happens when he risks everything in order to get his Chain back? Is death really so unbeatable? OzxAlice
1. Illusion

"Oz-" the golden-haired boy rolled over and mumbled. "Shh, Alice I'm trying to sleep. We can go get food later." "Oz...Oz please.." He waved his hand lazily in the direction of his Chain's voice. "Just a few more minutes..." "Oz-" he sighed deeply. Slowly he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Although the painful begging that resonated through the air slightly alarmed him, he knew it was probably because Alice was just hungry. "Oz, please wake up!" she cried out, louder this time, the desperation shocking him.

Oz looked around, and noticed he was in a room decorated in dolls and tea cups. He stood, laughter tinkling behind him. "It's going to happen again, ya know. Alllll because of you." the sing-song voice giggled again as he turned to meet their humored gaze. "The Will of the Abyss." he said breathlessly. She gently placed the doll in her hand down in a chair and neatly folded her hands in her lap." "Not...quite..." then, her voice began changing, a deeper, less-enthused voice melding with hers. "Wake up." the deep voice demanded simply. Oz's eyes snapped open and he screamed as he shot up. Panting, he looked around again. This time, a hooded figure stood before him, towering over him menacingly. "Are you...going to kill me?" Oz asked quietly. The figure laughed, his deep voice reverberating around the dark space they occupied. "_Kill _you? You who has no way to protect himself?" "Alice...Where's Alice?!" he demanded, standing to face the man.

"That's a start." the man stated. "What?" "You're not asking the right questions," this man's voice began changing as well, becoming lighter and more lilting. "Try...'why'..." Oz blinked and was suddenly sitting at a dining table, sweets laid before him. At the head of the table sat Sharon, smiling. "Eat up, Oz. As much as you'd like-" "I wish to know where Alice is..." he said, his head bowed. His hands roughly clenched his shorts in frustration as he gazed back up at Sharon. "I have no clue what's going on! I've seen 3 people familiar to me, yet none of them have given me any answers! I just want to know, where-" "-Alice is?" Sharon finished for him, her smile growing apologetic. "Honestly, Oz. You're asking the wrong questions." "That's what I keep hearing!" he shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. "Keep trying." she encouraged. Oz took a calming breathe and looked back up at Sharon, whose smile had faded. "I've asked where _she_ is..." he mumbled to himself. "So...Where am I?" her smile appeared once more as she began clapping. "Very good, Oz!" Then, she spread her arms wide, her gaze becoming menacing. "You are neither here, nor there." she riddled. Oz thought for a moment. "The Abyss!" he shouted, standing up. She nodded. "But then, why isn't Alice here...with me..?" he asked, sadly.

Sharon's expression grew disgusted. "You should be asking yourself that, Oz." "What?" "It's going to happen again, you know." The voices of the hooded man and the Will of the Abyss joined hers, creating a dark and eerie harmony. "What will?" he asked quietly. Sharon smiled wickedly. "Alice will _die." _Dark laughter filled the air and everything began to shatter around him, falling away into nothingness. Oz covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut as the sudden noise disoriented him.

"Oz..." a soft voice called through the destruction. Slowly, he opened his eyes and realized he was lying on his back. "Oz!" Disoriented, Oz could only make out the blurry form of a man with black hair shaking him vigorously. "Gil?" he smiled, relieved. "You've been asleep for a while now. Nothing could wake you, not even Break's constant-" "I don't want to know what Break did to me in my sleep." he grumbled. Break giggled from behind his sleeve. "Oh, don't you worry, you're not my type." Oz squinted his eyes, trying to bring everything into focus. Roughly he grabbed a piece of Gil's hair and stared at him cautiously. Tugging at it, he asked "are you the real Gil?" he stared at him incredulously. "The 'real' Gil?" Oz stopped pulling and massaged his temples. "I guess it was all a dream. I saw the Will of the Abyss, and a hooded man, and Sharon, and they all warned me that Alice would die again..." Oz shot up suddenly. "Where's-" a piercing scream filled the air.

The three of them bolted towards the scream and came across a frightened Sharon sitting in the corner of the hallway. Break knelt before her and inspected the blood that splattered her hair, dress, and hands. "Miss Sharon," he took her hand away from her shaking lips and gingerly but firmly held it between his. "what happened?" Tears streamed down her porcelain cheeks and she made a noise in the back of her throat. Staring straight ahead in the direction she had run from she cried, "Alice!" Oz took off and wound up in the foyer, where he stopped and screamed himself.

At the base of the stairs lied Alice in a massive pool of blood, bound in chains that cut her body everywhere. Tears of blood trailed down her pale cheeks and her chest rose and fell dangerously slow. "Alice?" he whispered, his own tears pooling in his eyes. "Oz.." she whispered as her tears spilled onto the floor, joining the giant pool. "I needed you to wake up...why...why didn't you listen to me?" she begged sadly as she squeezed her eyes shut. He knelt beside her, gently cradling her in his arms. "Alice, it's going to be okay. We'll get you help, you'll be fine. And we can be together." "Oz.." she softly touched his cheek, her blood smearing on it. "I-" suddenly, she made a choking noise, and the life seemed to vanish from her body. "No.." he whispered. "NO!"

"I told you." a tinkling voice sounded at the back of his head." "It happened again..."

* * *

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	2. Explanations

"Sharon, you must tell us what happened." Break spoke calmly to the shaken girl as Oz sat motionlessly across from her at the dining room table. She glanced quickly at Oz before swiping a blood-tipped lock of hair from her face. "Something was... off about her all day. I was surprised when she hadn't asked for anything to eat, so I went looking for her. I found her in your room Oz, kneeling next to your bed. She was holding your hand desperately, begging you to wake up. I thought she was just hungry or bored, and wanted you to wake up to alleviate it. But when I touched her shoulder, she looked up at me just..._crying._" Sharon swallowed and glanced cautiously at Oz, who stared ahead silently. "Continue, Sharon." Break said calmly. "I had never seen Alice so sad before. But when I asked her what was wrong, her tears stopped immediately and she shook her head at me. 'Nothing is wrong.' she assured me. Then, I asked if she was hungry and she shook her head once more, looking back at Oz. Then she smiled so sadly, and released his hand. I-I could tell something was wrong with Alice, so I suggested she go lie down. But, on the way up the stairs..." more tears streamed down Sharon's face. She clenched her eyes shut and squeezed Break's hand. She took a deep breath. "As we ascended, a chain wrapped around Alice's ankle, dragging her down. More and more chains appeared out of nowhere and just _sliced _her everywhere. I tried to help her, but she just smiled at me and said, "Don't worry." As I tried to help her, one of the chains splattered blood on me and Alice told me to run. So I did." she inhaled shakily. "I didn't make it far. I collapsed in the hallway, my legs just buckled beneath me. I screamed then, hoping someone was close enough to hear me. But by then, my pleas for help were too late. It's my fault she's dead. It's my fault-" "No." Oz interrupted emotionlessly. "It's my fault." "How can you say that, Oz? You were asleep-" "It's my fault. They all warned me, but I was too foolish to even comprehend what they were trying to tell me. I should've listened when I heard Alice's voice begging me to waken, but I shrugged it off. Because of me, Alice is dead." Oz began shaking and Gil placed his hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "But, why did this happen?" Oz asked quietly, tears pooling in his eyes. "Ah," a voice whispered in his mind. "Now you're asking the right questions."

Oz stood suddenly, surprising everyone. "What'd you say Sharon?" "I didn't say anything Oz." she replied, worry lacing her voice. "Yes you did! You just said that I was "asking the right questions" now!" "Oz, maybe you should lie down. The shock of what's happened-" "Don't any of you care that Alice is _dead _now? Why are you just sitting here, when she was brutally murdered in your own home?!" he shouted accusingly. "Oz...there's nothing we can do." Gil reasoned quietly. "Hmmmm," Break hummed, covering his mouth with his sleeve. "Perhaps Oz is right." "Break?" "These voices you're hearing could possibly be from the Abyss; at least, that would also explain why chains caused Alice's untimely demise." suddenly he giggled. "Well, this should be fun!" "Break, how can you sit there and laugh when Alice has just died?!" Sharon asked, smacking him harshly. He rubbed at the lingering handprint on his cheek humorously, the confused stares causing him to sigh. "Honestly, think for a moment. If Alice was killed before and returned as a Chain in the Abyss, what makes you think it didn't happen again?" Everyone's eyes widened. "But, because she was in the Abyss, she lost her memories." Oz said quietly. "Yes, but maybe you can retrieve them. And if not, you could just make new memories with Alice, now couldn't you?" Break bent and brought his face closer to Oz's. "Isn't that better than losing the one you _love _forever?"


	3. Confessions

"Love?" Sharon smiled excitedly. "Love?" Gil repeated, in shock and anger. Oz blushed deeply and bowed his head, twining his fingers nervously. Break giggled once more behind a white sleeve, glancing down mischievously at the emerald-eyed boy. "Ah, now now now Gil, you cannot be angry at Oz for never mentioning his heartfelt feelings towards Alice. I believe he hardly understood them himself." Gil was blushing lightly too, Oz's embarrassment becoming contagious. Sharon stood and clasped her hands together. "That's okay Oz. Don't be afraid to be in love-" Oz shook his head slightly. "I...I've known how I've felt for awhile. I knew it was l-love when my heart ached so much when I had to sit by while she put herself in danger day in and day out, protecting me." his blush deepened, and Sharon smiled down at him. "You should tell her when we get her back." she encouraged softly. Gil squirmed uncomfortably. Break leaned into him and waggled an eyebrow at him. "Jealous, are we?" Gil sprang back, shaking his head furiously. "N-n-no! I'm just worried that he's going to make a mistake getting his hopes up if we can't get her back." "Are you not wishing for Alice's return, Gil?" Break questioned seriously. His expression softened. "I am. If she weren't here, things would be a lot quieter. And Oz wouldn't be Oz anymore, without Alice." Gil smiled then. "I'm going to go rest before I have to use Raven." he waved as he retreated to his room.

"Ah, let's all follow suit, shall we?" Break suggested, interrupting Sharon and Oz's conversation about 'feelings.' They stared at him, Sharon disappointed. "But, we were just talking about-" "Honestly," he grabbed her hand and gently placed his lips on her bloodied knuckles. "Although you look quite beautiful as you are, I don't think blood suits you, Sharon." he murmured softly. She gazed after him kindly as he left the room. "Sharon?" Oz questioned, studying her expression. Still staring at the doorway Break had exited from, she softly said, "Oz, I can only empathize with your feelings for Alice because I feel the same way. Never knowing when or if he'll return, it's so scary. I know he's supposed to die, but somehow, he always returns." she nodded, her smile lighting up her eyes. "Yes, I love Break. And I just hope you get to tell Alice that you love her, too." With that, she exited as well, leaving Oz alone in the dining room.

Slowly, he relaxed his tense fingers and sighed. He knew going into the Abyss was dangerous, to say the least. Once there, time passes differently. They could all return 10 years in the past, or 20 years in the future. Everyone they knew could be _gone. _But he was willing to risk all that was familiar to him now, in order to have a chance to tell her just how much he cared for her.

Oz groaned in frustration. He couldn't allow Break, Sharon, and Gil to endanger themselves. Losing Alice had destroyed him, and the thought of losing his other friends repulsed him. He shook his head and stood. No, he was going to have to get Alice back _alone._


	4. Pocketwatch

Oz solemnly stood at the top of the stairs where his coming-of-age ceremony had taken place. He looked around silently, taking in the cracked walls and decrepit benches. His eyes rested on the floor sadly. A few feet away from him a large bloodstain stood out from the dusty tile. I'm sorry, Gil." he whispered. Then, he sighed. Hopefully, this would work. He was going to try to replicate the tragedy that happened that night, but he wasn't sure if it would work without someone _else _drawing blood from him. Slowly he raised the dagger that he held lazily in his hand and stared at his reflection in it. He took a shaky breath. "Here goes _everything." _Swiftly, before he could lose his resolve, he struck himself in the same spot as before, just above his heart. He screamed in pain and fell to his knees, just as a circle around him began glowing a bright purple. He smiled as he removed the dagger and threw it aside. Grimacing, he stood once more as the circle opened up. "It worked!" he breathed. "Oz!" he heard a deep voice behind him. Oz quickly turned and saw Gilbert running towards him. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Gil. But I have to do this alone." "Oz!" Then, he jumped in.

* * *

Gil froze as Oz disappeared into the ominous circle. Clenched in his hand was a short note that OZ had left for them. _"I hope you'll forgive me, but I have to do this alone. I've lost Alice, I can't lose any of you, too. Don't follow me, please. I will return with Alice, or I wont return at all." _Gil swore. "How can you argue with his resolve?" Sharon smiled sadly. She and Break stood against the open doorway, the sun shining brightly behind them. "He's acting brash, we have to go get him!" Gil shouted angrily. "Ah, that brat has some nerve in him after all." Break smiled and met Gil's gaze. "Looks like we'll just have to wait for their safe return." Gil stood gaping. "Even you, Break." he said in disbelief. Break shrugged. "I believe he can do it, you should too." Then he took Sharon's hand and gazed lovingly at her. "How about some tea?"

* * *

Oz clutched his wound and looked around. He gasped. The room was decorated with dolls and teacups. A high-pitched giggle chimed behind him and he turned. "This is the same...as my dream." "Not quite." The Will of the Abyss stood, lovingly petting one of her stuffed bunnies head. Don't say anything to provoke her, he thought to himself, she's easy to anger. "Where's Alice?" he asked calmly. Her smile instantly disappeared. "Alice? Alice? ALICE?" she screamed, ripping the rabbit's head off. That didn't work, he thought morbidly. Silence engulfed them, save for her ragged breathing. "You want Alice?" she smiled widely. Suddenly she was beside him and reaching into his pocket. He reached for it quickly, but she danced away giggling. She opened it, and smiled lovingly as Lacie began to fill the room. When it was over she sadly closed it and dangled it in front of Oz's face by the chain. "If you want Alice," suddenly she threw it up, but it never came down. "find the pocketwatch." Oz blinked, and suddenly he wasn't in the room anymore. He rubbed at his wound absently, gazing around at the broken and desolate toys that floated around and were scattered here and there. He sighed audibly. "This may take awhile Alice, but please, wait for me."


End file.
